Festival offers a glimpse into Canada's indigenous culture

The remote Yukon Territory offers a unique slice of Canadian life to tourists, far removed the urban experiences of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. 

The Klondike gold fields, Dawson City and Whitehorse are home to a fascinating combo of wilderness, history and indigenous culture and are a highly recommended destination. 

Lover of cultural ceremonies are alerted to the Moosehide Gathering, described as one of Canada's most moving cultural celebrations, as the spirit, stories and songs of the Hän people come alive. 

To be held from July 30 to August 3, the celebration of Indigenous culture is hosted by the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in at historic Moosehide Village, on the banks of the Yukon River near Dawson City.

This cultural event is an expression of resilience, renewal and cultural pride, at the heart of which resides an extraordinary story of survival. 

During the upheaval of the Klondike Gold Rush, Chief Isaac foresaw the threat that rapid change posed to the traditions of his people. 

To ensure the songs and dances of the Hän people would endure, he entrusted them to relatives in Alaska for safekeeping. Decades later, those treasured traditions were returned to the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in and revitalised, paving the way for the first official Moosehide Gathering in 1993.

Open to all, Moosehide Gathering invites travellers to move beyond sightseeing. 

Air Canada offers daily direct flights to Vancouver from Sydney and Brisbane. Direct flights from Sydney to Vancouver are also available on Qantas. 

Internal flights to Whitehorse and Dawson City are available on Air North and Air Canada. Additionally, travellers now have the ability to combine WestJet and Air North on a single ticket or itinerary. 

For more info see travelyukon.com

Vancouver puts on the culinary glitz

Vancouver is one of the most spectacular cities in North America. It has a great food and drink culture and has the advantage of being in Canada, rather than its belligerent neighbour. 

If you are heading to British Columbia early in the new year be sure to check out Dine Out Vancouver, Canada’s largest food and drink celebration, which will return for its 24th year. 

Destination Vancouver has announced that foodies can enjoy 19 days of feasting fun from January 21 to February 8, 2026. 

The Dine Out Vancouver Festival (DOVF) is an opportunity for visitors and locals alike to celebrate the city's culinary scene. 

Diners can look forward to a line-up of special menus from local chefs, unique culinary experiences, and a schedule of tasty events. 

The 2026 DOVF will showcase more than 400 restaurants from the North Shore to downtown, through Richmond and beyond, dishing up menus in fixed price points ranging from $25 to $70 per person.

Guests can also enjoy exclusive menus from Michelin-starred restaurants Burdock & Co. and Published on Main for $110.

The Dine Out Vancouver Festival will feature more than 30 ticketed dining events, including a three-course dinner in one of Rocky Mountaineer’s luxury rail cars at the Rocky Mountaineer Station. 

There will also be the “Chowder Cup”- a competition where chefs can showcase their creativity by featuring a sustainable seafood ingredient to win over a panel of judges. 

Also think events like a Sea Foraging Adventure. a Chinatown Walk, Talk and Dim Sum and a Grand Mezcal Tasting Event. 

Participating downtown Vancouver hotels will be offering up to a $250 Prepaid Mastercard with a two-night hotel stay, or a $75 Prepaid Mastercard with a one-night hotel stay (terms and conditions apply).

As the official airline of Dine Out Vancouver Festival, Air Canada will be offering discounted fares. 

For more info see https://www.dineoutvancouver.com/attractions/.

Air Canada gets it wrong. Again.

Air Canada is a classic case of a business without a contingency plan.

It consistently alienates its customers and when the blowback becomes fierce it then changes tack.

It was chaotic during Covid with lost bags and cancelled flights the norm. It was sadly under-prepared and passengers paid the price.

And now, after rorting its staff so they went on a five-day strike, Air Canada is again playing catch-up after leaving passengers stranded and refusing to pay their food and hotel costs.

Oops! But finally the airline realised the publicity it was getting was dire.

Suddenly Air Canada has announced “enhanced compensation” after several days of leaving thousands of travellers broke and anxious

The comedy capers airline will now cover ‘reasonable’ hotel costs, meals, ground transport and other related expenses for travellers who had cancelled or heavily delayed flights in the past week, news hub Travel Mole reported.

“We deeply apologise to all customers whose travel plans were disrupted, and we’re committed to making things right for all customers — particularly those who were stranded during their trip,” Air Canada EVP Mark Nasr said.

“Earlier this week, we put in place a special commitment to reimburse out-of-pocket transportation costs, including on other airlines, rail, ground or ferries. Today, we are taking another step forward to make things right.”

Air Canada said compensation claims must include receipts for travel and hotel expenses and can be submitted online.

About 500,000 passengers had their flight plans upended due to the strike which started last weekend.

Air Canada wants to slug passengers extra for hand baggage

 

Air Canada. The airline that takes a week to get a suitcase they lost back to you. And doesn't give a damn about it. 

Air Canada. The airline that sends your missing bag to Windsor, Ontario. Because your name is Winsor. 

Yes, that Air Canada. 

Now they want to charge you for hand baggage. Following, you guessed it, in the footsteps of no-service US carriers. 

Air Canada, which already had a "no frills" approach to customer service, is now planning to gouge travellers who want to travel with an overnight bag, or even a larger laptop. 

From January 2025, passengers travelling on Air Canada’s economy basic fare (yep, they mean basic) within Canada, the US, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean will be restricted to a single small personal item such as a purse or belt bag, satchel or laptop bag (if the laptop is small). 

The Air Canada website stated this week that larger items such as backpacks, duffel bags and cabin bags - which until now had been included in each economy basic fare – will be charged at $35 in local dollars for the first item and $50 for each additional bag. 

Passengers will have their ticket and carry-on baggage allowance verified at the departure gate - which sounds highly likely to cause delays and prompt arguments - and anybody trying to sneak an extra bag on board will be hit up for $65 at the gate.

Air Canada does say that mobility aids, medical devices and child strollers remain exempt. For now. 

Air Canada boasts it has "an ongoing commitment to excellence". I think they are kidding themselves.

Air Canada says its chatbot has a mind of its own

Air Canada, whose baggage handling and customer service failings have been canvassed regularly (GoTR passim, ad nauseam), are at it again.

The airline made a laughing stock of itself in a small claims court in Vancouver during the week.

In what is believed to be a first of its kind ruling, Air Canada was ordered to pay compensation to a customer after its chatbot supplied bogus information, CBC reported.

The airline had admitted wrong information was given to customer Jake Moffatt but Air Canada then tried to brush it off, claiming, hilariously, that the bot was responsible for its own words and actions.

The airline tried to argue the bot was a 'separate legal entity' and it should not be liable for its mistakes.

The chatbot advised Moffatt he could claim a bereavement fare refund within 90 days of the date the ticket was issued.

Air Canada later denied the refund request, saying bereavement rate differences cannot be refunded for completed travel, which is listed on the bereavement section of the Air Canada website.

The chatbot had used "misleading words" Air Canada admitted.

“There is no reason why Mr Moffatt should know that one section of Air Canada’s webpage is accurate, and another is not,” the court heard.

Air Canada was ordered to pay Moffatt the difference in the fare he paid and the bereavement fare, as well as interest and legal fees.

"This [was] a remarkable submission," Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) member Christopher Rivers wrote.

"While a chatbot has an interactive component, it is still just a part of Air Canada's website. It should be obvious to Air Canada that it is responsible for all the information on its website. It makes no difference whether the information comes from a static page or a chatbot."

Moffatt provided the CRT with a screenshot of the chatbot's words: "If you need to travel immediately or have already travelled and would like to submit your ticket for a reduced bereavement rate, kindly do so within 90 days of the date your ticket was issued by completing our Ticket Refund Application form."

Based on that assurance, Moffatt had booked full-fare tickets to and from Toronto to attend their grandmother's funeral.

Why Air Canada's return is good news for travellers

There is a huge advantage in choosing an airline that flies direct between Australia and Canada.

It means you do not have to land in the US. 

Travelers must apply for and receive an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) even when transiting through the US to a third country. 

Which is an unnecessary hassle. 

Good news, then, that Air Canada is ramping up its transpacific services, adding a choice of carriers for flyers.

Air Canada will have a daily service between Vancouver and Sydney from May 1. 

The airline will also reinstate Brisbane flights four times a week starting on July 1.

Later in the year it will re-starts flying to Auckland with three flights a week.

“We are accelerating the restoration of our Australian and New Zealand routes to respond to pent-up travel as borders reopen,” said Mark Galardo, senior vice president, network planning and revenue management (hell of a job title that!) at Air Canada.

Air Canada’s flights connect to and from Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Cairns and other cities via code-share agreement with Virgin Australia.

Air Canada’s Signature Suite lounge in Vancouver is expected to reopen this summer.

“We are thrilled with the expansion of the Air Canada network and to welcome our Aussie and Kiwi friends back to British Columbia to experience the hospitality we are known for,” said Melanie Mark, minister of tourism, arts, culture and sport for the province.

Seats are available for purchase now at aircanada.com